System for avoiding blind spot of vehicle using accident history information and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A system for avoiding blind spot using accident history information, includes an image sensor configured to provide image information by acquiring a surrounding image of a host vehicle, and a vehicle controller. The vehicle controller is configured to detect, through the image sensor, an adjacent vehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicle and a license plate of the adjacent vehicle; determine a dangerous level of the blind spot of the adjacent vehicle, based on accident history information of the adjacent vehicle and driver tendency information of a driver of the adjacent vehicle obtained by inquiring about the license plate of the adjacent vehicle, after determining a blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle; and generate a path in which the host vehicle deviates from the blind spot or avoids the blind spot to reduce the dangerous level of the blind spot, based on a traveling situation of the host vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(a) of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2020-0074241, filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Jun. 18, 2020, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a system for avoiding a blind spot ofa vehicle using accident history information and a method thereof, andmore particularly to a system for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicleusing accident history information, capable of determining a dangerouslevel of a blind spot of a large vehicle, and reflecting the dangerouslevel to a traveling path of a host vehicle, thereby preventing anaccident from occurring due to the blind spot of the large vehicle, anda method thereof.

BACKGROUND

In general, a driver has to determine a traffic situation during drivingof a vehicle and to drive the vehicle. In particular, the driver has todrive the vehicle by appropriately detecting a surrounding vehicle.

However, the driver may sense only a limit area due to the structurallimitation of the vehicle.

The limit area refers to a side area, which is sensed by the driverthrough a side view mirror, and a blind spot, which is sensed as thedriver turns the head of the driver and is an area other than the sidearea.

Although a blind spot detection (BSD) system has been developed suchthat the driver recognizes the blind spot through a sensor, all vehiclesare not equipped with the BSD system.

Accordingly, although a host vehicle is equipped with the BSD system, anext-lane vehicle, which is not equipped with the BSD system andpositioned on a next lane, may still change the lane while failing torecognize the host vehicle positioned in a blind spot of the next-lanevehicle, and the host vehicle has to avoid the blind spot and travel.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

In one general aspect, a system for avoiding a blind spot using accidenthistory information, includes an image sensor configured to provideimage information by acquiring a surrounding image of a host vehicle,and a vehicle controller. The vehicle controller is configured todetect, through the image sensor, an adjacent vehicle traveling adjacentto the host vehicle and a license plate of the adjacent vehicle;determine a dangerous level of the blind spot of the adjacent vehicle,based on accident history information of the adjacent vehicle and drivertendency information of a driver of the adjacent vehicle obtained byinquiring about the license plate of the adjacent vehicle, afterdetermining a blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle; and generate apath in which the host vehicle deviates from the blind spot or avoidsthe blind spot to reduce the dangerous level of the blind spot, based ona traveling situation of the host vehicle.

The vehicle controller may include a blind spot range generatorconfigured to detect the adjacent vehicle traveling adjacent to the hostvehicle, based on the image information received through the imagesensor, and determine a default blind spot range; a traveling roadinformation generator configured to provide, as traveling roadinformation, information on a road on which the host vehicle istravelling, based on the image information; a blind spot range changingdevice configured to change the default blind spot range, based on thetraveling road information; a blind spot dangerous level determiningdevice configured to determine the dangerous level of the blind spot bymatching a dangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, deduced by analyzingthe accident history information of the adjacent vehicle and the drivertendency information of the driver of the adjacent vehicle, with thedefault blind spot range changed based on the traveling roadinformation; and a path generator configured to generate the path forminimizing the dangerous level of the blind spot, based on the travelingsituation of the host vehicle and to longitudinally or laterally controlthe host vehicle.

The blind spot range generator may include an object type determiningdevice configured to determine a type of the adjacent vehicle, based onthe image information; an object size determining device configured tocalculate a size of the adjacent vehicle, based on the imageinformation; a host vehicle information storage configured to store dataof the host vehicle, including a total height of the host vehicle and aroof area of the host vehicle; and a blind spot range determining deviceconfigured to determine the default blind spot range, based on any oneor any combination of any two or more of the type of the adjacentvehicle, the size of the adjacent vehicle, the total height of the hostvehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle.

The blind spot range determining device may select one of blind spotsstored depending on types of adjacent vehicles, based on the determinedtype of the adjacent vehicle; match the selected blind spot with thedetected adjacent vehicle; and determine the blind spot range matchedwith the adjacent vehicle, based on any one or any combination of anytwo or more of the determined size of the adjacent vehicle, the totalheight of the host vehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle todetermine the default blind spot range.

The blind spot dangerous level determining device may determine thedangerous level of the blind spot by matching the dangerous level of theadjacent vehicle, deduced by using the accident history information,including a number of times of accidents, an accident type, and anaccident scale, of the adjacent vehicle, and the driver tendencyinformation of the driver of the adjacent vehicle received from aninformation providing server, with the default blind spot range changedbased on a traveling path of the host vehicle and a traveling path ofthe adjacent vehicle.

The vehicle controller may be further configured to accelerate the hostvehicle to deviate the host vehicle from the blind spot range, when thedangerous level of the blind spot and the dangerous level of theadjacent vehicle are higher than a specific reference, and when the hostvehicle travels within the blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle.

The vehicle controller may be further configured to generate a path ofpassing through a safer blind spot by determining the dangerous level ofthe blind spot and the dangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, when thehost vehicle avoids the blind spot of the adjacent vehicle by passingthrough the blind spot of the adjacent vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle may be larger than the host vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle may be a truck or a bus.

In another general aspect, a method for avoiding a blind spot usingaccident history information, includes providing image information byacquiring a surrounding image of a host vehicle through an image sensor;detecting, by a vehicle controller, an adjacent vehicle travelingadjacent to the host vehicle and a license plate of the adjacentvehicle; determining a dangerous level of the blind spot, based onaccident history information of the adjacent vehicle and driver tendencyinformation of a driver of the adjacent vehicle obtained by inquiringabout the license plate of the adjacent vehicle, after determining ablind spot range of the adjacent vehicle; and generating a path in whichthe host vehicle deviates from the blind spot or avoids the blind spotto reduce the dangerous level of the blind spot, based on a travelingsituation of the host vehicle.

The detecting, by the vehicle controller, of the adjacent vehicle mayinclude detecting, by a blind spot range generator, the adjacent vehicletraveling adjacent to the host vehicle, based on the image informationreceived through the image sensor, and determining a default blind spotrange of the adjacent vehicle; and providing, by a traveling roadinformation generator, as traveling road information, information on aroad on which the host vehicle is travelling, based on the imageinformation. The determining of the dangerous level of the blind spotmay include changing, by a blind spot range changing device, the defaultblind spot range, based on the traveling road information; anddetermining, by a blind spot dangerous level determining device, thedangerous level of the blind spot by matching a dangerous level of theadjacent vehicle, deduced by analyzing the accident history informationof the adjacent vehicle and the driver tendency information of thedriver of the adjacent vehicle, with the default blind spot rangechanged based on the traveling road information. The generating of thepath in which the host vehicle deviates may include generating, by apath generator, a path for minimizing the dangerous level of the blindspot, based on the traveling situation of the host vehicle; andlongitudinally or laterally controlling the host vehicle.

The determining of the dangerous level of the blind spot may includedetermining, by an object type determining device, a type of theadjacent vehicle, based on the image information; calculating, by anobject size determining device, a size of the adjacent vehicle, based onthe image information; storing, by a host vehicle information storage,data of the host vehicle, including a total height of the host vehicleand a roof area of the host vehicle; and determining, by a blind spotrange determining device, the default blind spot range, based on any oneor any combination of any two or more of the type of the adjacentvehicle, the size of the adjacent vehicle, the total height of the hostvehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle.

The determining of the dangerous level of the blind spot may includeselecting one of blind spots stored depending on types of adjacentvehicles, based on the determined type of the adjacent vehicle; matchingthe selected blind spot with the detected adjacent vehicle; anddetermining a blind spot range matched with the adjacent vehicle, basedon any one or any combination of any two or more of the determined sizeof the adjacent vehicle, the total height of the host vehicle, and theroof area of the host vehicle to determine the default blind spot range.

The determining of the dangerous level of the blind spot may includedetermining the dangerous level of the blind spot by matching thedangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, deduced by using the accidenthistory information, including a number of times of accidents, anaccident type, and an accident scale, of the adjacent vehicle, and thedriver tendency information of the driver of the adjacent vehicle,received from an information providing server, with the default blindspot range changed based on a traveling path of the host vehicle and atraveling path of the adjacent vehicle.

The generating of the path in which the host vehicle deviates mayinclude accelerating the host vehicle to deviate the host vehicle fromthe blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle, when the dangerous levelof the blind spot and the dangerous level of the adjacent vehicle arehigher than a specific reference, and when the host vehicle travelswithin the blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle.

The generating of the path in which the host vehicle deviates mayinclude generating a path of passing through a safer blind spot bydetermining the dangerous level of the blind spot and the dangerouslevel of the adjacent vehicle, when the host vehicle avoids the blindspot of the adjacent vehicle by passing through the blind spot of theadjacent vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle may be larger than the host vehicle.

The adjacent vehicle may be a truck or a bus.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detaileddescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for avoiding a blindspot of a vehicle using accident history information, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a host vehicle constituting asystem for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle using accident historyinformation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a blind spot range generator in ahost vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a blind spot of a large vehicle applied toa system for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle using accident historyinformation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 5 to 8 are views illustrating detection of a blind spot of a largevehicle through a system for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle usingaccident history information, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views illustrating generation of a path through asystem for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle using accident historyinformation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts illustrating a method for avoiding ablind spot of a vehicle using accident history information, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. In addingthe reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should benoted that the identical or equivalent component is designated by theidentical numeral even when they are displayed on other drawings. Inaddition, in the following description of an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a detailed description of well-known features or functionswill be ruled out in order not to unnecessarily obscure the gist of thepresent disclosure.

In describing the components of the embodiment according to the presentdisclosure, terms such as first, second, “A”, “B”, (a), (b), and thelike may be used. These terms are merely intended to distinguish onecomponent from another component, and the terms do not limit the nature,sequence or order of the constituent components. In addition, unlessotherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical orscientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understoodby those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary are to beinterpreted as having meanings equal to the contextual meanings in therelevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted as having ideal orexcessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as having such in thepresent application.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a system for avoiding ablind spot of a vehicle using accident history information, capable ofinquiring a license plate of a large vehicle adjacently traveling toanalyze an accident history (the number of times of accidents, the typeof the accident, or the scale of the accident), of deducing thedangerous level of the large vehicle and the accident tendency of thedriver based on the analyzing result such that the dangerous level ofthe large vehicle and the accident tendency of the driver are reflectedin generating a path of deviating from a blind spot and a path ofavoiding the blind spot, and of more actively addressing (generating apath and performing a control operation with respect to), especially,the blind spot, which is formed by the large vehicle having the higherprobability (the higher dangerous level) for an accident, to reduce theaccident probability, thereby ensuring the safe traveling of the hostvehicle, and a method thereof.

The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are notlimited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technical problemsnot mentioned herein will be clearly understood from the followingdescription by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosurepertains.

As described above, according to the present disclosure, the licenseplate of the large vehicle adjacently traveling is inquired to analyzethe accident history (the number of times of accidents, the type of theaccident, or the scale of the accident), the dangerous level of thelarge vehicle and the accident tendency of the driver may be deducedbased on the analysis result such that the dangerous level of the largevehicle and the accident tendency of the driver are reflected ingenerating a path of deviating from a blind spot and a path of avoidingthe blind spot, and, especially, the blind spot, which is formed by thelarge vehicle having the higher probability (the higher dangerous level)for an accident may be more actively addressed (the path is generatedand the control operation is performed) to reduce the accidentprobability, thereby ensuring the safe traveling of the host vehicle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 .

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for avoiding a blindspot of a vehicle using accident history information, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a block diagramillustrating a host vehicle constituting a system for avoiding a blindspot of a vehicle using accident history information, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagramillustrating a blind spot range generator in a host vehicle, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4 is a viewillustrating a blind spot of a large vehicle applied to a system foravoiding a blind spot of a vehicle using accident history information,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 5 to 8 areviews illustrating detection of a blind spot of a large vehicle througha system for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle using accident historyinformation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIGS. 9 and 10 are views illustrating generation of a path through asystem for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle using accident historyinformation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a system for avoiding the blind spot of the vehicle usingaccident history information may include a host vehicle 100 including asensor 110, an image sensor 130, a vehicle controller 200, a display300, a speed controller 500, and a communication device 700.

The sensor 110 may include a radar, a Light Detection and Ranging(LiDAR), and an ultrasonic sensor mounted on a side surface of the hostvehicle 100, may sense a next-lane vehicle traveling on a lane next to alane of the host vehicle 100, and may provide information on thenext-lane vehicle to the vehicle controller 200.

The image sensor 130 may include at least one of a front camera toacquire a front image of the host vehicle 100, a rear camera to acquirea rear image of the host vehicle 100, a left camera to acquire a leftimage of the host vehicle 100, or a right camera to acquire a rightimage of the host vehicle 100. The image sensor 130 may acquire asurrounding image of the host vehicle 100, may generate imageinformation, and may provide the generated image information to thevehicle controller 200.

For example, the image sensor 130 may acquire the front image, the rearimage, the left image, and the right image of the host vehicle 100, andmay provide the acquired image, which serves as the image information,to a blind spot range generator 210 and a traveling road informationgenerator 230 of the vehicle controller 200.

The image sensor 130 may sense a license plate of a large vehicle 50,which is positioned around the host vehicle 100, and may provideinformation on the license plate to the vehicle controller 200.

The vehicle controller 200 may receive information (accident historyinformation) on an accident history of the large vehicle 50 andinformation on the tendency of a driver, which are obtained from theinquiry of the license plate, from an information providing server 900,after transmitting the information on the license plate, which is sensedthrough the image sensor 130, of the large vehicle 50 to the informationproviding server 900 and may reflect the information in determining adangerous level of a blind spot. The vehicle controller 200 may includethe blind spot range generator 210, the traveling road informationgenerator 230, a blind spot range changing device 250, a blind spotdangerous level determining device 270, and a path generator 290.

The blind spot range generator 210 may receive, as the imageinformation, the sensing result of the sensor 110 and a surroundingimage, which is acquired from the image sensor 130, of the host vehicle100. The blind spot range generator 210 may determine a default blindspot range of the large vehicle 50 traveling around the host vehicle100, based on the image information.

In this case, the blind spot range generator 210 may provide, as defaultblind spot range information, the determined default blind spot range ofthe large vehicle 50 to the blind spot range changing device 250.

For example, the blind spot range generator 210 may sense the largevehicle 50 positioned around the host vehicle 100, based on the imageinformation, may determine the type and the size of the large vehicle50, may determine the default blind spot range of the large vehicle 50traveling around the host vehicle 100, based on the type and the size ofthe large vehicle 50 and the information of the host vehicle 100, andmay provide, as the default blind spot range information, the defaultblind spot range of the large vehicle 50 to the blind spot rangechanging device 250.

In addition, referring to FIG. 3 , the blind spot range generator 210may include an object type determining device 211, an object sizedetermining device 213, a host vehicle information storage 215, and ablind spot range determining device 217.

The object type determining device 211 may determine the type of avehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicle 100, based on the imageinformation, and may provide, as determined object type information, thedetermined information to the object size determining device 213 and theblind spot range determining device 217.

For example, when the vehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicle 100is determined as being the large vehicle 50, based on the imageinformation, the object type determining device 211 may insert theinformation on that the vehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicle100 is the large vehicle 50, and information on the type of the largevehicle 50 into determined object type information, and may provide theinserting result to the object size determining device 213 and the blindspot range determining device 217.

In this case, the type of the large vehicle 50 may include a truck or abus.

The object size determining device 213 may calculate the size of thelarge vehicle 50, based on the image information, and provide, as objectsize information, the calculated information to the blind spot rangedetermining device 217, when the information on that the vehicletraveling adjacent to the host vehicle 100 is the large vehicle 50 isinserted into the determined object type information provided from theobject type determining device 211.

For example, the object size determining device 213 may calculate thetotal height and the width of the large vehicle 50, based on the imageinformation, and provide, as the object size information, the calculatedinformation to the blind spot range determining device 217, whenreceiving the information on that the vehicle traveling adjacent to thehost vehicle 100 is the large vehicle 50 and the information on the typeof the large vehicle 50.

The host vehicle information storage 215 may store information (such asthe total height and the width of the host vehicle 100, and an area of amain portion (for example, a roof area of the vehicle or an area betweenan A pillar and a C pillar) forming the total height of the host vehicle100) of the host vehicle 100, and may provide, as information (hostvehicle information) on the host vehicle 100, the stored information tothe blind spot range determining device 217.

The blind spot range determining device 217 may receive the determinedobject type information from the object type determining device 211,receive the object size information from the object size determiningdevice 213, and receive the information on the host vehicle from thehost vehicle information storage 215.

The blind spot range determining device 217 may generate the defaultblind spot range information, based on at least one of the determinedobject type information, the object size information, and the hostvehicle information.

For example, the blind spot range determining device 217 may determinethe default blind spot range of the large vehicle 50 traveling adjacentto the host vehicle 100, based on the type of the large vehicle 50,which is included in the determined object type information, the size ofthe large vehicle 50, which is included in the object size information,and the total height of the host vehicle 100 and the roof area of thehost vehicle 100 which are included in the information on the hostvehicle 100, and may output, as the default blind spot rangeinformation, the determined default blind spot range.

In other words, the blind spot range determining device 217 may selectone of blind spots stored depending on types of large vehicles 50, basedon the determined type of the large vehicle 50, may match the selectedblind spot with the sensed large vehicle 50, and may determine the blindspot range matched with the large vehicle 50, based on the determinedsize of the large vehicle 50 and the total height and the roof area ofthe host vehicle 100, thereby determining the default blind spot range.

The traveling road information generator 230 may receive, as the imageinformation, the surrounding image, which is acquired from the imagesensor 130, of the host vehicle 100, may generate information on a road(traveling road of the host vehicle 100) on which the host vehicle 100travels, based on the image information, and may provide, as travelingroad information, the generated road information to the blind spot rangechanging device 250 and the blind spot dangerous level determiningdevice 270.

For example, the traveling road information generator 230 may determinea curvature, a lateral gradient, a longitudinal gradient, and a mergingpoint of the travelling road of the host vehicle 100, based on the imageinformation, and may provide, as the traveling road information, thedetermined information to the blind spot range changing device 250 andthe blind spot dangerous level determining device 270.

The blind spot range changing device 250 may receive the default blindspot range information provided from the blind spot range generator 210and the traveling road information provided from the traveling roadinformation generator 230.

The blind spot range changing device 250 may generate changed blind spotrange information by changing the default blind spot range information,which is generated based on the image information, based on thetraveling road information, and may provide the generated and changedblind spot range information to the blind spot dangerous leveldetermining device 270.

For example, the blind spot range changing device 250 may expand orreduce the blind spot range of the large vehicle 50, which is includedin the default blind spot range information, based on at least one ofinformation on a curvature, information on a lateral gradient, orinformation on a longitudinal gradient of the traveling road, which isincluded in the traveling road information, and may output the expandedor reduced result serving as the changed blind spot range information.

The blind spot dangerous level determining device 270 may match thedangerous level of the large vehicle 50, which is deduced by analyzingthe accident history information of the large vehicle 50 and the drivingtendency information of the driver of the large vehicle 50, which areobtained from the inquiry of the license plate of the large vehicle 50,with the changed default blind spot range based on the traveling roadinformation, and may output, as blind spot information, the informationon the changed default blind spot range matched with the dangerous levelof the large vehicle 50.

For example, the blind spot dangerous level determining device 270 maydetermine a dangerous ranking for blind spots of the large vehicle 50 bymatching the dangerous level of the large vehicle 50, which is obtainedbased on the accident history information, which includes the number oftimes of accidents, an accident type, and an accident scale receivedfrom the information providing server 900, of the large vehicle 50 andon the driving tendency information of the driver of the large vehicle50, with the default blind spot range changed depending on the travelingpath of the host vehicle 100 and the traveling path of the large vehicle50.

Thereafter, the blind spot dangerous level determining device 270 mayoutput, as blind spot information, blind spot varying range informationhaving the determined dangerous ranking.

In other words, the blind spot dangerous level determining device 270may determine the dangerous level of the large vehicle 50 as beinghigher, as the number of times of accidents of the large vehicle 50,which is received from the information providing server 900, isincreased. In addition, when the driver of the large vehicle 50 isdetermined as corresponding to a driver careless a front-right portionor at a front portion by using the driver tendency information of thedriver of the large vehicle 50, which is obtained from the informationproviding server 900, the blind spot dangerous level determining device270 may determine the blind spot positioned at the front-right portionor the front portion of the large vehicle 50 as a place having a higherdangerous level.

The path generator 290 may generate a path to minimize the dangerouslevel, based on the traveling situation of the host vehicle 100, and maylongitudinally or laterally control for the host vehicle 100 such thatthe host vehicle 100 may travel while deviating from or avoiding theblind spot.

The display 300 may include a sound device or a display device. Thedisplay 300 may link to a navigation device (not illustrated) to map apath (avoiding path) for avoiding the blind spot and a path (deviatingpath) for deviating from the blind spot to map data and may display themap data on a screen.

The speed controller 500 may control the host vehicle 100 to decelerateor accelerate on the traveling path, when the host vehicle 100 fails togenerate the path for deviating from the blind spot or the path foravoiding the blind spot to travel.

The communication device 700, which wirelessly makes communication withthe information providing server 900, may transmit, to the informationproviding server 900, the information on the license plate of the largevehicle 50, which is photographed through the image sensor 130 of thehost vehicle 100, and may receive, from the information providing server900, the number of times of accidents, the accident type, or theaccident scale of the large vehicle 50, and the driving tendencyinformation of the driver of the large vehicle 50, which are to betransmitted to the vehicle controller 200.

Hereinafter, an operation for the blind spot range determining device217 to generate the default blind spot range information, based on thedetermined object type information, object size information, and hostvehicle information will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .

The blind spot range determining device 217 may have various types ofblind spot information depending on the types of the blind spot 50.

The blind spot range determining device 217 may select one of blind spotinformation stored depending on the types of the large vehicle 50, basedon the determined object type information, and may match the selectedblind spot information with the sensed large vehicle 50.

Referring to FIG. 4 , when the large vehicle 50 is a truck, the blindspot of the large vehicle 50 may include a left blind spot “A” of thelarge vehicle 50, a right blind spot “B” of the large vehicle 50, afront-right blind spot “C” of the large vehicle 50, and a rear blindspot “D” of the large vehicle 50.

In this case, the blind spot of the large vehicle 50, which isillustrated in FIG. 4 , is shown on the assumption that the driver seatof the large vehicle 50 is positioned at the left side. Accordingly,when the driver seat of the large vehicle 50 is positioned at the rightside, the form of the blind spot of the large vehicle 50 may be changed.

The blind spot range determining device 217 may expand or reduce therange (e.g., size) of the blind spot matched with the large vehicle 50,based on information on the host vehicle 100.

For example, the blind spot range determining device 217 may expand orreduce the blind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50, based onat least one of the total height of the host vehicle 100 or the roofarea of the host vehicle 100, which are included in the information onthe host vehicle 100.

In more detail, the blind spot range determining device 217 may expandthe blind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50, as the totalheight of the host vehicle 100, which is included in the information onthe host vehicle 100, is reduced.

Meanwhile, the blind spot range determining device 217 may reduce theblind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50, as the total heightof the host vehicle 100, which is included in the information on thehost vehicle 100, is increased.

The blind spot range determining device 217 should be configured toexpand or reduce the blind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50,based on the total height of the host vehicle 100, because the driver ofthe large vehicle 50 fails to sufficiently recognize the host vehicle100, as the total height of the host vehicle 100 becomes lower, whilebeing able to sufficiently recognize the host vehicle 100, as the totalheight of the host vehicle 100 becomes higher as illustrated inreference numeral “A)” of FIG. 5 .

Meanwhile, the blind spot range determining device 217 may reduce theblind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50, as the roof area ofthe host vehicle 100, which is included in the information on the hostvehicle 100, is increased.

Meanwhile, the blind spot range determining device 217 may expand theblind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50, as the roof area ofthe host vehicle 100, which is included in the information on the hostvehicle 100, is reduced.

The blind spot range determining device 217 should be configured toexpand or reduce the blind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50,based on the roof area of the host vehicle 100, because the driver ofthe large vehicle 50 fails to sufficiently recognize the host vehicle100, as the roof area of the host vehicle 100 becomes narrower, whilebeing able to sufficiently recognize the host vehicle 100, as the roofarea of the host vehicle 100 becomes wider as illustrated in referencenumeral “B)” of FIG. 5 .

In other words, when the roof area of the host vehicle 100 is wider, thedriver of the large vehicle 50 may more easily recognize the hostvehicle 100, as compared to when the roof area of the host vehicle 100is narrower. Accordingly, the matched blind spot of the large vehicle 50may be expanded or reduced based on the roof area of the host vehicle100, thereby ensuring the safety of the host vehicle 100.

In addition, the blind spot range determining device 217 may expand orreduce the blind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50, based onthe total height of the large vehicle 50, which is included in theinformation on the object size.

For example, as illustrated in reference numeral “A)” of FIG. 6 , theblind spot range determining device 217 may expand the blind spot rangematched with the large vehicle 50, as the total height of the largevehicle 50, which is included in the object size information, becomeshigher.

For example, as illustrated in reference numeral “B)” of FIG. 6 , theblind spot range determining device 217 may reduce the blind spot rangematched with the large vehicle 50, as the total height of the largevehicle 50, which is included in the object size information, becomeslower.

The blind spot range determining device 217 should be configured toexpand or reduce the blind spot range matched with the large vehicle 50,based on the total height of the large vehicle 50, because the driver ofthe large vehicle 50 having the higher total height fails tosufficiently recognize the host vehicle 100 traveling adjacent to thelarge vehicle 50 while the driver of the large vehicle 50 having thelower total height sufficiently recognizes the host vehicle 100traveling adjacent to the large vehicle 50.

In other words, the driver of the large vehicle 50 having the lowertotal height may more easily recognize the host vehicle 100 travelingadjacent to the large vehicle 50, as compared with the driver of thelarge vehicle 50 having the higher total height. Accordingly, the safetyof the host vehicle 100 may be ensured by expanding or reducing theblind spot of the large vehicle 50 depending on the sensed total heightof the large vehicle 50.

As described above, the blind spot range changing device 250 of FIG. 2may change the default blind spot range information of the large vehicle50, which is generated from the blind spot range generator 210, based onthe traveling road information, and may output, as the changed blindspot range information of the large vehicle 50, the default blind spotrange information of the large vehicle 50, which is changed.

For example, the blind spot range changing device 250 may change thedefault blind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, based onthe information on the curvature, the information on the lateralgradient, and the information on the longitudinal gradient included inthe traveling road information of the host vehicle 100, and may output,as the changed blind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, thedefault blind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, which ischanged.

As illustrated in reference numeral “A)” of FIG. 7 , the blind spotrange changing device 250 may expand a right blind spot range of thelarge vehicle 50 on a left turn road, based on the curvature of thetraveling road of the host vehicle 100, which is included in thetraveling road information, and may insert information on the expandedright blind spot of the large vehicle 50 into the changed blind spotrange. In this case, the blind spot range changing device 250 may expandthe right blind spot range of the large vehicle 50, as the curvature ofthe left turn road is increased.

Although not illustrated, the blind spot range changing device 250 mayexpand a left blind spot range of the large vehicle 50 on a right turnroad, based on the curvature of the traveling road of the host vehicle100, which is included in the traveling road information.

In this case, the blind spot range changing device 250 may expand theleft blind spot range of the large vehicle 50, as the curvature of theright turn road is increased.

As described above, the blind spot range changing device 250 may expandor reduce the default blind spot range, which is included in the defaultblind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, based on thecurvature of the road, and may output information on the expanded orreduced range as the changed blind spot range information of the largevehicle 50.

In addition, the blind spot range changing device 250 may change thedefault blind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, based onthe information on the longitudinal gradient of the travelling roadincluded in the traveling road information, and may output, as thechanged blind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, thedefault blind spot range information of the large vehicle 50 which ischanged.

For example, as illustrated in reference numeral “B)” of FIG. 7 , theblind spot range changing device 250 may expand a front-right blind spotof the large vehicle 50, when the large vehicle 50 reaches a turningpoint of the longitudinal gradient included in the traveling roadinformation. In this case, although reference numeral “B)” of FIG. 7illustrates that the front-right blind spot of the large vehicle 50 isexpanded at the turning point of the longitudinal gradient, at which anuphill is switched to a downhill, the front-right blind spot of thelarge vehicle 50 may be reduced at a point at which the downhill isswitched to the uphill.

Although illustrated in FIG. 7 , the blind spot range changing device250 may expand and reduce the front-right blind spot of the largevehicle 50 at a turning point of the lateral gradient, based oninformation on the lateral gradient of the travelling road, which isincluded in the traveling road information.

As described above, the blind spot range changing device 250 may expandor reduce the default blind spot range, which is included in the defaultblind spot range information of the large vehicle 50, at the turningpoint of the longitudinal gradient or the lateral gradient, and mayoutput information on the expanded or reduced range as the changed blindspot range information of the large vehicle 50.

The blind spot dangerous level determining device 270 of FIG. 2 maymatch the dangerous level with the blind spot of the large vehicle 50,which is included in the changed blind spot range information, based onthe traveling road information, and may output the changed blind spotrange information of the large vehicle 50, which is matched with thedangerous level, as blind spot information.

For example, when a merging point, at which the traveling road of thehost vehicle 100 is merged with another road, is included in thetraveling road information, the blind spot dangerous level determiningdevice 270 may determine the dangerous ranking with respect to the blindspot of the large vehicle 50, based on the traveling path of the largevehicle 50 and the traveling path of the host vehicle 100, and mayoutput the change blind spot range information having the determineddangerous ranking, as the blind spot information.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , when viewed from the mergingpoint included in the traveling road information and when the hostvehicle 100 is traveling at the right side of the large vehicle 50, theblind spot dangerous level determining device 270 may match a dangerouslevel, which is higher than that of the left blind spot, to the rightblind spot of the large vehicle 50 and the changed blind spot rangeinformation of the large vehicle 50 having the matched dangerous levelmay be output as the blind spot information.

Meanwhile, although not disclosed in drawings, when viewed from themerging point included in the traveling road information and when thehost vehicle 100 is traveling at the left side of the large vehicle 50,the blind spot dangerous level determining device 270 may match adangerous level, which is higher than that of the right blind spot, tothe left blind spot of the large vehicle 100 and the change blind spotrange information of the large vehicle 50 having the matched dangerouslevel may be output as the blind spot information.

In addition, the blind spot dangerous level determining device 270 maygenerate blind spot information by matching the highest dangerous levelto a blind spot of the large vehicle 50, in which the host vehicle 100is to be merged at the merging point, based on the traveling path of thehost vehicle 100 and the traveling path of the large vehicle 50.

The vehicle controller 200 may accelerate the host vehicle 100 such thatthe host vehicle 100 deviates from the blind spot, when the host vehicle100 is determined as being traveling within the blind spot range of thelarge vehicle 50 based on the blind spot information of the largevehicle 50 and when the dangerous level of the blind spot and thedangerous level of the large vehicle 50 are higher than a specificreference.

For example, the vehicle controller 200 may control the host vehicle 100to instantly accelerate and to deviate from the blind spot to minimize atime for traveling of the host vehicle 100 in a blind spot, when thehost vehicle 100 is determined as being traveling in the blind spot ofthe large vehicle 50, and when the number of times of accidents of thelarge vehicle 50 is five times, and the driving tendency of the driverof the large vehicle 50 is determined as being careless at the rightportion and the front-right portion, so the dangerous level of therelevant blind spot and the dangerous level of the large vehicle 50 arehigher.

In addition, when the host vehicle 100 generates the path (avoidingpath) for avoiding the blind spot, the host vehicle 100 may pass throughthe blind spot of the large vehicle 50. Even in this case, the vehiclecontroller 200 may determine the dangerous level of the blind spot andthe dangerous level of the large vehicle 50 to select a path of passingthrough a safer blind spot for travelling.

For example, the vehicle controller 200 may determine the dangerouslevel of the blind spot and the dangerous level of the 29 large vehicle50, and may control the host vehicle 100 to select a path of passingthrough a left blind spot, which is safer, of the large vehicle 50 fortraveling, when the host vehicle 100 generates the avoiding path, whenthe host vehicle 100 passes through a blind 5 spot of the large vehicle50, when the number of times of accidents of the large vehicle 50 isfive times, and when the driving tendency of the driver of the largevehicle 50 is determined as being careless at the right portion and thefront-right portion. As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the safer path passingthrough the left blind spot is illustrated as Path 1 while the less safepath passing through the right side blind spot is illustrated as path 2.

Hereinafter, a method for avoiding a blind spot of a vehicle usingaccident history information, according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 .FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts illustrating the method for avoiding theblind spot of the vehicle using the accident history information,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The following description will be made on the assumption that the systemfor avoiding the blind spot of the vehicle using the accident historyinformation as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 performs processes of FIGS.11 and 12 .

First, the large vehicle 50 traveling adjacent to the host vehicle 100may be sensed through the image sensor 130 (S101), and the dangerouslevel may be determined after determining the blind spot range of thelarge vehicle 50 (S102). In another instance, the host vehicle 100 maysense there is no blind spot present through the image sensor 130 andthe vehicle 100 is safe (S106).

Regarding the dangerous level of the blind spot, the information on thelicense plate, which is sensed through the image sensor 130, of thelarge vehicle 50 is transmitted to the information providing server 900(S201), and the dangerous level of the blind spot may be determinedbased on the accident history information of the large vehicle 50 andthe driving tendency information of the driver of the large vehicle 50(S202).

Thereafter, the vehicle controller 200 may determine whether thedangerous level of the blind spot is higher than specific reference tobe reflected in generating a path, or is lower than the specificreference not to be reflected in generating the path (S203).

Thereafter, when the number of times of accidents of the large vehicle50 is five times, and when the driving tendency of the driver of thelarge vehicle 50 shows the carelessness at the front-right portion orthe right portion, so the dangerous level of the blind spot is higherthan the specific reference, the dangerous level of the blind spot maybe reflected in generating the deviation path and an avoiding path(S204). When the dangerous level of the blind spot is lower than thespecific reference, the dangerous level of the blind spot is notreflected in generating the deviating path and the avoiding path (S205).

Thereafter, the vehicle controller 200 may determine whether the hostvehicle 100 is present in the blind spot of the large vehicle 50 (S103),and whether the path of deviating from the blind spot is generated(S104), and when the generation of the path of deviating from the blindspot is possible, the vehicle controller 200 may control the hostvehicle 100 to accelerate or decelerate or to change a lane to a nextlane, such that the host vehicle 100 deviates from the blind spot of thelarge vehicle 50 (S105).

In this case, when the host vehicle 100 travels within the blind spot ofthe large vehicle 50 and when the dangerous level of the blind spot andthe dangerous level of the large vehicle 50 are higher than THE specificreference, the host vehicle 100 may instantly accelerate to rapidlydeviate from the blind spot range.

Thereafter, when the host vehicle 100 is scheduled to enter the blindspot of the large vehicle 50 (S107), vehicle controller 200 determineswhether the path of avoiding the blind spot is generated (S108). Whenthe path of avoiding the blind spot is generated, vehicle controller 200may control the host vehicle 100 to accelerate or decelerate or tochange a lane to a next lane, such that the host vehicle 100 deviatesfrom the blind spot of the large vehicle 50 (S109).

In this case, when the host vehicle 100 avoids the blind spot of thelarge vehicle 50 by passing through the blind spot of the large vehicle50, vehicle controller 200 may determine the dangerous level of theblind spot and the dangerous level of the large vehicle 50 and maygenerate a path of passing through a safer blind spot.

Meanwhile, when the host vehicle 100 does not enter the blind spot orwhen the path of avoiding the blind spot is failed, vehicle controller200 may control the host vehicle 100 to currently maintain aninter-vehicle distance to the large vehicle 50 and maintain a currentlane (S110).

As described above, according to the present disclosure, the licenseplate of the large vehicle adjacently traveling may be inquired toanalyze the accident history (the number of times of accidents, the typeof the accident, or the scale of the accident), and the dangerous levelof the large vehicle and the accident tendency of the driver may bededuced based on the analyzing result such that the dangerous level ofthe large vehicle and the accident tendency of the driver are reflectedin generating the path of deviating from the blind spot and the path ofavoiding the blind spot. Especially, the blind spot, which is formed bythe large vehicle having the higher probability (the higher dangerouslevel) for the accident, may be more actively addressed (in terms ofgenerating a path and controlling).

Accordingly, the safe traveling of the host vehicle may be ensured byminimizing the traveling time in the blind spot of the large vehicletraveling adjacent to the host vehicle and the dangerous level.Accordingly, the driver of the host vehicle may feel psychologicalsafety. In addition, the collision between a general sedan (smallersedan) and a large vehicle may be reduced and thus the death rate from atraffic accident may be reduced, thereby preventing a large-scaleaccident resulting from the accident with the large vehicle.

Hereinabove, although the present disclosure has been described withreference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto, but may be variously modifiedand altered by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosurepertains without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure claimed in the following claims.

Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure areprovided to explain the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, butnot to limit them, so that the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited by the embodiments. The scope of the presentdisclosure should be construed on the basis of the accompanying claims,and all the technical ideas within the scope equivalent to the claimsshould be included in the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for avoiding a blind spot using accidenthistory information, the system comprising: an image sensor configuredto provide image information by acquiring a surrounding image of a hostvehicle; and a vehicle controller configured to: detect, through theimage sensor, an adjacent vehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicleand a license plate of the adjacent vehicle; determine a dangerous levelof the blind spot of the adjacent vehicle, based on accident historyinformation of the adjacent vehicle and driver tendency information of adriver of the adjacent vehicle, obtained by inquiring about the licenseplate of the adjacent vehicle, after determining a blind spot range ofthe adjacent vehicle; and generate a path in which the host vehicledeviates from the blind spot or avoids the blind spot to reduce thedangerous level of the blind spot, based on a traveling situation of thehost vehicle, wherein the vehicle controller comprises a blind spotrange generator configured to detect the adjacent vehicle travelingadjacent to the host vehicle, based on the image information receivedthrough the image sensor, and determine a default blind spot range,wherein the blind spot range generator comprises: a host vehicleinformation storage configured to store data of the host vehicle,including a total height of the host vehicle and a roof area of the hostvehicle; and a blind spot range determining device configured todetermine the default blind spot range, based on any one or anycombination of any two or more of a height of the adjacent vehicle, thetotal height of the host vehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controller comprises: atraveling road information generator configured to provide, as travelingroad information, information on a road on which the host vehicle istravelling, based on the image information; a blind spot range changingdevice configured to change the default blind spot range, based on thetraveling road information; a blind spot dangerous level determiningdevice configured to determine the dangerous level of the blind spot bymatching a dangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, deduced by analyzingthe accident history information of the adjacent vehicle and the drivertendency information of the driver of the adjacent vehicle, with thedefault blind spot range changed based on the traveling roadinformation; and a path generator configured to generate the path forminimizing the dangerous level of the blind spot, based on the travelingsituation of the host vehicle and to longitudinally or laterally controlthe host vehicle.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the blind spot rangegenerator further comprises: an object type determining deviceconfigured to determine a type of the adjacent vehicle, based on theimage information; and an object size determining device configured tocalculate a size of the adjacent vehicle, based on the imageinformation.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the blind spot rangedetermining device: selects one of blind spots stored depending on typesof adjacent vehicles, based on the determined type of the adjacentvehicle; matches the selected blind spot with the detected adjacentvehicle; and determines the blind spot range matched with the adjacentvehicle, based on any one or any combination of any two or more of thedetermined size of the adjacent vehicle, the total height of the hostvehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle to determine the defaultblind spot range.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the blind spotdangerous level determining device determines the dangerous level of theblind spot by matching the dangerous level of the adjacent vehicle,deduced by using the accident history information, including a number oftimes of accidents, an accident type, and an accident scale, of theadjacent vehicle, and the driver tendency information of the driver ofthe adjacent vehicle received from an information providing server, withthe default blind spot range changed based on a traveling path of thehost vehicle and a traveling path of the adjacent vehicle.
 6. The systemof claim 5, wherein the vehicle controller is further configured to:accelerate the host vehicle to deviate the host vehicle from the blindspot range, when the dangerous level of the blind spot and the dangerouslevel of the adjacent vehicle are higher than a specific reference, andwhen the host vehicle travels within the blind spot range of theadjacent vehicle.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehiclecontroller is further configured to: generate a path of passing througha safer blind spot by determining the dangerous level of the blind spotand the dangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, when the host vehicleavoids the blind spot of the adjacent vehicle by passing through theblind spot of the adjacent vehicle.
 8. A method for avoiding a blindspot using accident history information, the method comprising:providing image information by acquiring a surrounding image of a hostvehicle through an image sensor; detecting, by a vehicle controller, anadjacent vehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicle and a licenseplate of the adjacent vehicle; determining a dangerous level of theblind spot of the adjacent vehicle, based on accident historyinformation of the adjacent vehicle and driver tendency information of adriver of the adjacent vehicle obtained by inquiring about the licenseplate of the adjacent vehicle, after determining a blind spot range ofthe adjacent vehicle; generating a path in which the host vehicledeviates from the blind spot or avoids the blind spot to reduce thedangerous level of the blind spot, based on a traveling situation of thehost vehicle; and detecting, by a blind spot range generator, theadjacent vehicle traveling adjacent to the host vehicle, based on theimage information received through the image sensor, and determining adefault blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle, wherein thedetermining of the dangerous level of the blind spot comprises: storing,by a host vehicle information storage, data of the host vehicle,including a total height of the host vehicle and a roof area of the hostvehicle; and determining, by a blind spot range determining device, thedefault blind spot range, based on any one or any combination of any twoor more of a height of the adjacent vehicle, the total height of thehost vehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the detecting, by the vehicle controller, of theadjacent vehicle comprises: providing, by a traveling road informationgenerator, as traveling road information, information on a road on whichthe host vehicle is travelling, based on the image information, whereinthe determining of the dangerous level of the blind spot furthercomprises: changing, by a blind spot range changing device, the defaultblind spot range, based on the traveling road information; anddetermining, by a blind spot dangerous level determining device, thedangerous level of the blind spot by matching a dangerous level of theadjacent vehicle, deduced by analyzing the accident history informationof the adjacent vehicle and the driver tendency information of thedriver of the adjacent vehicle, with the default blind spot rangechanged based on the traveling road information, and wherein thegenerating of the path in which the host vehicle deviates comprises:generating, by a path generator, a path for minimizing the dangerouslevel of the blind spot, based on the traveling situation of the hostvehicle; and longitudinally or laterally controlling the host vehicle.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the dangerouslevel of the blind spot further comprises: determining, by an objecttype determining device, a type of the adjacent vehicle, based on theimage information; and calculating, by an object size determiningdevice, a size of the adjacent vehicle, based on the image information.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the dangerouslevel of the blind spot comprises: selecting one of blind spots storeddepending on types of adjacent vehicles, based on the determined type ofthe adjacent vehicle; matching the selected blind spot with the detectedadjacent vehicle; and determining a blind spot range matched with theadjacent vehicle, based on any one or any combination of any two or moreof the determined size of the adjacent vehicle, the total height of thehost vehicle, and the roof area of the host vehicle to determine thedefault blind spot range.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein thedetermining of the dangerous level of the blind spot comprises:determining the dangerous level of the blind spot by matching thedangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, deduced by using the accidenthistory information, including a number of times of accidents, anaccident type, and an accident scale, of the adjacent vehicle, and thedriver tendency information of the driver of the adjacent vehicle,received from an information providing server, with the default blindspot range changed based on a traveling path of the host vehicle and atraveling path of the adjacent vehicle.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the generating of the path in which the host vehicle deviatescomprises: accelerating the host vehicle to deviate the host vehiclefrom the blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle, when the dangerouslevel of the blind spot and the dangerous level of the adjacent vehicleare higher than a specific reference, and when the host vehicle travelswithin the blind spot range of the adjacent vehicle.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the generating of the path in which the host vehicledeviates comprises: generating a path of passing through a safer blindspot by determining the dangerous level of the blind spot and thedangerous level of the adjacent vehicle, when the host vehicle avoidsthe blind spot of the adjacent vehicle by passing through the blind spotof the adjacent vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjacentvehicle is larger than the host vehicle.
 16. An apparatus, comprising:an image sensor configured to provide image information by acquiring asurrounding image of a host vehicle; and a controller configured to:detect, through the image sensor, one or more adjacent vehiclestraveling adjacent to the host vehicle from the surrounding image;determine, responsive to detecting a large vehicle among the one or moreadjacent vehicles, a dangerousness level of a blind spot of the largevehicle based on a height of the large vehicle; determine a defaultblind spot range, based on a roof area of the host vehicle and a totalheight of the host vehicle and one or more of a type of the largevehicle and a size of the large vehicle; and generate a path for thehost vehicle that reduces the dangerousness level of the large vehicleblind spot according to the default blind spot range.
 17. The apparatusof claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to: acquirelicense plate images of the one or more adjacent vehicles from thesurrounding image; obtain, responsive to detecting the large vehicleamong the one or more adjacent vehicles, accident history information ofthe large vehicle and driver tendency information of a driver of thelarge vehicle by inquiring about a license plate of the large vehicle;and determine a dangerousness level of the blind spot of the largevehicle, based on the accident history information and the drivertendency information.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein thecontroller is configured to generate the path based on a travellingsituation of the host vehicle, a host travelling path of the hostvehicle, and a large vehicle travelling path of the large vehicle. 19.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the blind spot of the large vehicleincludes a left blind spot, a right blind spot, a front-right blindspot, and a rear blind spot.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein theblind spot range determining device is further configured to expand orreduce a blind spot range matched with the large vehicle based on thetotal height of the large vehicle.